The Story of Ella
by TheatreGirl81
Summary: A retelling of (at least) 6 different fairy tales, all rolled into one fractured story.
1. Prologue - The Magic Tower

I woke up in the tower again, just like I have for countless days… weeks… months…

The magical prison affords me every convenience, except my freedom. I'm not sure if I deserve this punishment, there had been claims that I have violated some law of the land I supposedly rule. But what is wrong with a queen defending what is hers?

I can't remember being brought here. I just woke up one morning, confined to three rooms. There are two barred window that afford me a view of the surrounding lands. There is nothing for miles.

I said it was a magical tower. Everything I need and want is provided for me. There are always clean clothes in the bureau and food appears twice a day on my table. I have books and knitting, cards and dice.

But most importantly, I have cosmetics. Just because I am alone doesn't mean I shouldn't look my best. I have a reputation after all: I am the fairest in the land, the mirror finally speaks in my favor. I adore the blood red lip color and coal black hair frames my pale face. Not seeing the sun for weeks… months? Years? has made my skin white as snow. Gazing into my magic mirror, I see a porcelain doll looking back at me.

I am relieved the mirror is here in my rooms. I feared my husband would take back the wedding gift. The beautiful, gilt frame surrounds a looking glass that speaks to the person looking in to it.

Mirror mirror…

I am finally the fairest in the land, and I must look beautiful for the day when my husband comes to release me. I must look perfect for him, I have a reputation after all. My make up must be perfect. My clothing fit for a queen.

I start in on brushing out my hair. It has grown long during my confinement. It is the truth mark of how long I have been here. It falls in rivers – not waves – around me. A coal-black river that must be brushed out every day.

I used to have servants to do this for me. But before that, once upon a very long time ago, I was the servant brushing the hair of my step sister…


	2. Ashes on the Sea

The name I was born with was Ella. And, like many of these stories start, my father married a second time so that I could have a mother. I got a sister as well, though she looked down on me from the start.

We could have been such friends, Anna and I, if she had made an effort.

I grew up in a sea side kingdom, and before my father married the wealthy widow of a captain, we worked as fishmongers. I was used to hard work, but I thought I would have a reprieve when we married out of our class.

My father became a merchant and he would travel for weeks at a time, trading goods across the sea. While he was gone, my step family was cold. Not mean per se, just distant. But when we got word that my father was lost at sea, presumed drowned, my step mother became cruel.

While I believed that my father loved her, I soon learned that my stepmother didn't feel the same way about him or me… I had to work for board in my own house. And when my step mother realized she could save money by having me work twice as hard. She started letting go of the household staff and I found myself playing lady's maid, laundress, and housekeeper.

But I had no money of my own, and couldn't afford to leave. I had asked, once, if my father had left me any money. But my stepmother said it all went to her, as his widow. I never asked again. I put my head down and did what I had to. At least, if I was a servant I had a roof over my head.

* * *

One day, I was accompanying Anna to the market. She was looking through the jewelry booth, so I took a walk along the pier, knowing my sister would be awhile.

"Lovely day for a stroll," a voice said.

I looked up to see a tall man standing near me. He flashed a smile, but that was all I could see of his face because a hat was obscuring most of his features.

"It is a nice day, yes."

"I'm Eric," he said, doffing his hat and giving me a little bow. He was handsome with curling brown hair and green eyes. I felt as if I should had recognized him, but I couldn't place where I'd seen him before.

I curtsied in return. "Ella."

"I've seen you in the market multiple times," he said. "Walking this path, gazing out at the sea. Are you waiting for a young man to return?"

I blushed at the thought of this handsome man noticing me. "The man I miss is never coming back sir," I said. "And he was my father. Sometimes…"

Eric raised his eyebrow.

I shook my head. "It's nothing." I was not going to tell this stranger that there were days I wished to follow my father, take a step off the pier and…

"Don't do it," Eric said.

I looked up, jarred. "What?"

"I see the longing in your eyes, don't step into the dark. When you give into the dark there is no going back."

"Are you a fortune teller?" I asked. It unnerved me that my intentions had been that obvious.

"I'm just a nobleman with the ability to read people," he said. "And you are a beauty. Stay in the light, there's plenty to live for."

"I wasn't seriously thinking…" I felt the blush rise on my cheeks again. "And I'm not beautiful."

"But you are," he insisted. "In fact, I bet the mermaids would make you one of them. The sirens of the sea wouldn't allow you to drown if you…" He gestured at the sea. "You know."

"I… Please, you mustn't say such things. I'm no one special, just a merchant's daughter."

"Everyone is special," Eric said. "And beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"I should go," I said.

"Will you meet me here tomorrow?" he asked.

"I cannot promise you that," I said.

He smiled. "I'll wait anyway."

* * *

Of course I found a way to meet him the next day. And the next. After that the meetings by chance. Eric was charming and a perfect gentleman. He would have a rose with him, just in case he ran into me in the market.

I found myself telling him more and more about my life, but I never spoke of my stepmother's cruelty. Instead I told him what jobs I did, however I never said I wasn't paid for them. But I never said I was either.

"There's a ball at the castle next month," Eric said as we walked. "Will you attend?"

It was hard to imagine only knowing him for two weeks; we had developed a close-knit friendship. He was kind and I wondered what it would be like to further our relationship But I never thought he would offer something like this, something that would put me at his side in the public eye.

"I don't know," I said after a moment of silence. "I'm not sure I can manage it."

"But you must come," he said.

Anna and my stepmother were the ones who attended the balls. I would dress them in their finery and watch as they rode off in the hired carriage. And I would have to listen to them talk about those magical nights when they returned home.

After the last ball, Anna had spent days talking about Prince Arryn, who had returned to the kingdom after three years abroad. He had been studying at a foreign school and, after that, was sent to promote peace with the kingdom across the sea, arranging a marriage for his older sister.

I looked down, ashamed. "I should tell you something, but I'm afraid of what you'll think."

"Ella, everyone has secrets," Eric told me. "I do as well. As a matter of fact, I was planning on telling you a secret of my own. A rather big one, as a matter of fact." He paused, studying her. "When was the last time you were at the castle?"

"It's been many years," I told him. "But I'm not a lady of standing."

"You're a merchant's daughter," he said. "A captain's daughter. Your family contributed to the commerce of this kingdom. I can get you an invitation."

"I'm a servant," I whispered. "I have no money. If I had an inheritance, I never saw it. My stepmother forces me to be my sister's maid. And if I don't work they'd put me out." I felt tears running down my cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eric asked. He didn't sound angry, he sounded concerned.

"I didn't want you to think less of me," I whispered. "And I didn't want to speak ill of my family. I take great care to be presentable when I go out, but would you have even talked to me if you had known I spend my time warming my hands in the fireplace? My sister calls me Cinderella because of the ash she kicks on me." I felt a weight lift off me. It felt good to finally speak of these problems.

"Let me help you," Eric said. "There must be something I can do… if they have truly stolen your money you deserve to have your case heard."

"You really mean that?" I asked, bewildered.

"I'll see to it personally," he said. "I promise."

"You are too kind," I whispered.

"Ella! Ella, where are you?" I paled as Anna's shrill voice cut through the air.

"If you must." Eric sounded unsure. "Perhaps I'll see you…"

Anna pushed through the milling people. When she saw me a look of ire descended over her feautres. "Ella, why did you wander…" she trailed off as her mouth fell open.

"I'm sorry, Anna," I began.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. She fell into a curtsey. "My prince, please do not offended by my lack wit servant."

"Prince?" Stunned, I turned to my friend. "What is she talking about?"

"Show some deference you stupid…"

"That is enough," he interrupted. "Ella, and I are quite acquainted, and I allow her to treat me as a friend." He turned to me, eyes pleading. "I told you I had a secret, Ella. My name is Arryn, not Eric."

"The cloaks and hats," I whispered. "You preferred the less crowded promenades and turned your face from the crowds."

Anna took a breath. "I don't understand. Why would someone like you take interest in someone like her?"

The prince ignored her. "I told you I was a nobleman, Ella. And we were never alone, I was never in any danger."

He gestured over his shoulder.

Two men, dressed no different from other merchants, were flashing badges, holding back the crowd that had gathered when my stepsister outed Er… Prince Arryn. Castle guards, I realized.

He finally turned back to Anna. "I've been away for so long, many common people don't recognize me. Only those who frequent the same balls as I have would know my face. I like walking among my people incognito. It allows me to see them for who they are when they don't know a prince is in their midst, their true personalities. I can see how the shop keeps treat their customers and get to know my people. I see how servants are treated and how family is perceived."

Anna, to her credit, looked embarrassed.

"I've been lying to your stepsister," Arryn said, finally acknowledging Anna's presence. "I am the one who owes her an apology."

"I lied to you as well, Prince Arryn," I said.

He shook his head. "My deception was worse. Please, say you'll come to the ball and allow me to make it up to you."

Anna looked green and I knew my stepmother would hear a twisted version of today's events, but it was worth it.

"I accept your invitation," I told him.

"I'll send Lewis to accompany you home," Arryn said.

One of the guards turned to acknowledge the prince.

"He'll see to it you stepmother understands that you are to be my guest of honor at the ball," Arryn said, taking my hand. "And, just so there are no hard feelings, they will be my guests as well."

"You are to kind," Anna replied, dropping into a curtsey. "I just hope Ella hasn't been lying to you about us."

"I'm sure she hasn't," Arryn said. "Everything will work out in the end."

* * *

And everything did work out.

I found one of my mother's old dresses and tailored it to be suitable ball attire. During those few weeks nothing my step sister or Anna said affected my mood. They yelled and ranted, demanded to know what I told the prince, but I would tell them nothing but lies, insisting that I painted them in good light.

And when the gilded invitation came with all our names on it they breathed a sigh of relief. Of course their outfits were more beautiful than mine, and they gloated about it. But Prince Arryn sent me gifts that I kept hidden until the night of the ball.

I stepped into the prince's personal carriage in my mother's altered dress, wearing pearl jewelry loaned from the royal wardrobe and glass slippers that had been hand crafted to fit my feet alone. I had arranged my hair and spent an hour applying the right amount of cosmetics.

Everything was perfect. I was as beautiful on the outside as Arryn said I was on the inside.

I felt like a princess. And I became one at the stroke of midnight.

With the blessing of the king and queen, the prince was allowed to choose his own wife. He gave me a ring and documents ensuring that I would be paid my full inheritance. My stepmother and Anna were green with envy. At least until they were sent to the dungeons to await trial for theft.

But that declaration hadn't sunk in.

I was still reeling over the prince's proposal. I was to be styled a prince and married to this wonderful man. No more would I toil and slave for my own family, I was finally to get my due.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, making my makeup run. But I didn't care, I wasn't worthy of this honor.


	3. The Beast in the Mirror

Queen. I was so worthy of this title.

As heartbreaking as it was, with the death of the king, Prince Arryn was set to step up and take over the rule of our kingdom. His father passed a week before and his mother didn't want to rule alone. She would hand over the throne to me and I would be crowned in the same ceremony as my husband.

My husband. Five years ago we made our vows and I became a princess by right, not just in title. I decided that I wanted to rename myself. Princess Ella didn't ring right in my ears, that girl was being swept away with the ashes. So I restyled myself as "Daniella".

And soon I would be a queen.

I sat down at my vanity intending to plan out how my maids would style my hair and do my make up in the morning. Lea had spread my gown out on the bed and was pulling jewelry to match.

But I was distracted by the mirror in the corner. Staring into the vanity's mirror, I could see the full length looking glass in the corner of my room. It beckoned me, enticed me, to approach it and use the magic within.

It had been a wedding gift from Arryn: a magic mirror that would show me anyone – Anything – I wanted to see. It would answer questions for me as well, helping me to better understand the kingdom I was now being taught to rule.

I walked over to the mirror, ran my hand over the gilt frame. "Mirror, show me my sister, Anna."

There was a flash and Anna appeared in the mirror. The past five years had not been kind to her. She and my stepmother were imprisoned and fined for stealing my money. By the time they were set free they were all but beggars. Anna had married a farmer and spent her days toiling in the fields. I watched as Anna rocked a crying child, who looked about two, in her arms. Childbirth had destroyed her figure and she couldn't seem to lose the excess weight. I looked closer, reconsidering. Perhaps she was with child again.

Having a child was not something I wished to do, though I was expected to produce an heir. I had worked hard to maintain my place as second lady of the kingdom, and now I was going to be the first, and appearances were a very big part of that show. I had to be perfect. Beautiful.

"Mirror, show me the most beautiful woman in the kingdom," I whispered, not wanting my maid to hear what I was asking.

The first time I had asked the question was not out of vanity. It was out self-doubt and masochism. It had been when Arryn gave me the mirror. I was in a simple gown, my hair in a twist and no make-up. Arryn had once told me that I was the most beautiful woman in the land, but I thought _Men say thing like that to bolster the woman they're with. He didn't mean it literally._

So I asked the question in a little voice, almost afraid to see who would appear. Arryn laughed and slid his arms around my waist. He told me I didn't need to ask that question because I already knew the answer. But I had to know. The mirror swirled, but when it cleared my image remained. I smiled as I leaned back into the arms of my prince.

This time when the mirror swirled, it showed Arryn in his father's study. A young woman sat beside him, drinking a glass of wine. They were laughing. She had long, red hair and sparkling blue eyes. This was Greta, Arryn's cousin who lived in a foreign kingdom. She was sent to live with us, to learn how to be a proper royal lady. Currently she was a duchess, but someday she could marry a prince.

I scowled and turned from the mirror. What made this girl more beautiful than me? She has freckles and her nose was crocked… only a little, but still. I was stately, graceful, and didn't have a blemish on me. That gawky girl hadn't even grown into her body yet!

I saw red as I walked through the castle halls, my maid trailing after me. I knocked once before pushing open the door.

Arryn smiled at my sudden appearance. "Good evening, love."

Greta stood up. "Hello, my lady," she said, dropping into a curtsy.

I gestured that she should stand, though I wanted her to remain hunched over for the next hour. "Good evening. Having fun, are we?"

"Are you alright, Daniella?" Arryn asked. "You seem out of sorts."

"What are the two of you talking about?" I asked, trying to calm myself.

Greta sat down. "The prince was explain to me the customs of tomorrow's coronation. I do not want to do something wrong."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," I said.

Arryn cleared his throat. "Why don't you tell Greta some of the stories from when you were learning to be a princess? I'm sure it would help her feel more at ease. Learning new customs and proper protocols won't happen overnight."

I opened my mouth to refuse, but something on Arryn's face stopped me. Couldn't he see that I didn't want to remember those embarrassing days? I was no longer the girl who didn't know a dinner fork from a salad fork. But I would tell the stories because Arryn wished it of me.

"Lea, go fetch another wine glass from the kitchen," I said. "We may be here awhile."

* * *

I hated her. The jealously I felt for Greta grew worse as the months passed by. Somehow, she had managed to outshine me at my own coronation. Everyone was still talking about the beautiful, foreign duchess with the roses in her red hair. I couldn't understand what the people saw in her.

Was I too plain? My black hair didn't stand out in a crowd, but I was still young. I could pass for Greta's age, seventeen, though was twenty-five. I had jewels sewn into my dresses, pearls threaded in my hair, and powders to hide blemishes.

Arryn would just shake his head, saying I didn't need all the pomp and circumstance, saying I was hiding my true beauty. But I knew better. The mirror still favored Greta, so I had to correct my every flaw.

I plied Greta with sweets and pastries, hoping she would gain weight in a homely fashion. But the desserts filled out her curves, put meat on her bones and helped to fill out her lanky frame. I had made her prettier.

I started skipping meals and lacing my corset tighter. The dowager queen seemed disappointed that I hadn't conceived a child yet, and warned me not to constrict my air supply. I had to breathe, after all.

One evening, I came into Greta's room as her maid was dressing her for dinner.

"You should wear your corset tight, like mine," I told her.

"But to dinner?" she asked, turning. "How am I to eat then?"

"It makes you eat less, to keep your figure."

She eyed me. "First you tell me to eat everything, to have seconds of dessert and now you say to eat less. Which is it, my lady?"

I smiled. "Beauty is a fickle thing, Greta. You needed to grow into your body, to gain a womanly shape. Now that you have that, it would be a shame to lose it. There is always work to be done to retain the beauty you've earned."

She nodded and turned her back to me. I untied the cords on her corset and relaced it tighter. Greta held the bedframe and let out a groan.

"It's too tight."

"Just a little more," I said.

Greta's maid looked worried. "My Queen, I think it's tight enough."

"You are not employed to think," I told the girl.

I pulled the cords even tighter, and Greta started having problems catching her breath. Her face was turning red but I didn't stop. Something held me enthralled and I knew that if I pulled just a little more… tied the strings too tight…

The maid fled the room and Greta began to choke, gasping for air. What was I doing? I pulled out the cords and removed the corset, tossing it to the floor. I helped Greta into her bed and then I ran as well.

I didn't stop until my own door slammed behind me. Had I really just tried to suffocate Greta. My heart was pounding in my ears and I ran to my mirror. The face staring back at me was pale and covered in sweat.

That wouldn't do! I couldn't go to dinner looking like this. I had to scrub off the makeup, reply it…

I slid to the floor and began to laugh. I had almost killed a woman in a jealous rage and all I wanted to do was fix my mussed hair. When had I become so jealous? Greta was no treat to me. But then why did it bother me to see her laughing with my husband? Why did the mirror favor her?

If she were gone I would be free of a rival. If something were to happen, god forbid…

But how? How could I rid myself of her? I'd have to make sure there were no witnesses to implicate me next time.

Next time…

 _When you give into the dark there is no going back._

* * *

Poison. That was the way to go. A quick-acting poison that could be dissolved in her drink or applied to a personal belonging. That was the way to go. I sent my maid to the apothecary to get several tinctures and herbs. Nothing in and of itself was a poison, but when several things were mixed together…

I applied it to her hair combs, the ones with the roses attached that she liked to wear often. Her maid came in to clean before Greta was to get dressed that night. The poison sunk into her skin and killed the girl.

I hated that an innocent had died, but nothing could be traced back to me. Greta was afraid for her life thinking, correctly, that she had been the target. But she refused to leave and return to her own land.

Arryn came to me the night after the maid had been buried. He came to my room less and less now. I knew it was because he was comforting _her_.

I sat staring into the magic mirror, barely acknowledging his presence. He stepped up behind me.

"Mirror, show me the girl I married."

I stared as my reflection morphed, changed into a young, carefree girl walking arm in arm with Arryn along the pier. I held a red rose, because he always brought one in case I was waiting.

"Where is that girl?" Arryn asked. "What happened to my love?"

"I'm right here."

"I don't know you," he whispered. "What have you become, Ella? You skulk around these halls, watching everything, spying on something. Or someone. Why have you grown cold? And why don't you like my cousin?"

The anger flared up before I could stop it and I whirled on him. "Why do you like her? Or, more importantly, why does she like you?"

Arryn took a step back. "You're wrong, there's nothing going on between us. She's family and someone," his eyes grew dark, "has been trying to harm her. What do you know of that?"

"I have the castle's best guards searching for answers as to how the poison comb was brought into these walls," I said defensively. "But the way it seems to be going, the comb might as well have walked itself into her room."

"An enchanted comb?" Arryn looked skeptical. "What about the corset?"

"An accident. I was trying to help her." I had to turn this around. "But you, you've been going to her rooms."

"She's scared, Daniella," Arryn said.

"Bu it doesn't have to be used," I told him. "Send guards with her."

"She's afraid of the guards. It could have very well been a guard or servant who planted the comb. Or…"

"Or?" I raised an eyebrow and held my breath, hoping he wouldn't call me out.

"You at yourself, Daniella. You don't care about anyone anymore, except for yourself. Let me tell you a secret, you will never be truly beautiful on the outside until you see yourself as beautiful on the inside."

"I am beautiful," I said. "I'll show you. Mirror, show me my inner beauty."

The mirror swirled. Cleared. I screamed and stumbled back into Arryn's arms.

"Dear god above… You are the Green Eyed Monster personified, Daniella."

I was a beast, and part of me didn't care. I would win back my husband. I would… I whipped my head around, but I knew I was alone. Arryn had left me again.


	4. Heart of Thorns

The vision in the mirror had scared me into submission. At least for a little while. I couldn't afford for any more suspicion to fall on me. I had to lay low until they stopped watching me.

Greta finally trusted the guards enough to allow them to follow her around, seven of them if you can believe it, and not bother Arryn every time she saw a shadow move. Two months with no attempts on her life and Greta was able to breathe easy.

But Arryn and I never reconciled; not really. To the people of the kingdom we were perfectly happy, doing our duties and holding court as a king and queen – as a husband and wife – with no problems.

But behind closed doors we were distant and the relationship was strained. His advisors urged him to put me aside and marry someone else, since divorcing me wouldn't break any political ties.

And while Arryn had resisted at first he grew wary of discontent in the castle. He came to my room one night and gave me an ultimatum: if I couldn't conceive a child in the next two months he would put me aside. I had been taking herbs to prevent conception, and now I had to choose between my vanity and the man I loved.

I wondered if I even still loved him. The answer was yes, I did. I desired him more than any man and I would not give him up, not for anything. He would be mine, so help me god. It was his advisors who poisoned him against me. Greta still held him enthralled with her damsel in distress claims. She still refused to go anywhere without at least one guard, but it was better than seven armed men following her like a train of ladies.

My options were limited: get rid of Arryn's advisors and Greta or hope that I conceived a child in the next sixty days. Maybe I could buy a love potion from a wizard and make Arryn fall back in love with me. Either that or steal a child.

God, what was I thinking?

I was pacing ruts in my floor. I needed a distraction.

The mirror called to me from the corner, beckoning me closer. I no longer asked it if I the fairest in the land. I knew I wasn't because I was going grey and gaining wrinkles prematurely. I looked like a clown with all the makeup I was applying, caking it on to cover my flaws.

I touched the looking glass, pondering if there was any spell that would allow me to step through the mirror into another world. Queen of another land that I could shape with wonders of my choosing.

I laughed, half mad. In my Wonderland I could do as I pleased. I could paint the roses a different hue if their color offended me. But no red roses. Nothing to remind me of Greta's rose red clips.

But I was stuck in this world and had to make do with my reality, sad as it was.

Anna! My sister was miserable in the life she'd been forced into and maybe her sadness could cheer me.

"Mirror, show me my stepsister Anna."

The mirror swirled and went dark. I balked; this had never happened before.

Anger flared up inside of me. "Mirror, show me Anna! Where is my stepsister? Show me where she is right now!"

There was a moment of stone silence before the mirror cleared. I gasped and stumbled backwards. There was a graveyard reflected in the glass and I was staring at Anna's tomb.

* * *

"I have to say, my lady, I am quite surprised to see you here." My sister's widower set a glass of wine down in front of me.

I tried to be discreet when I traveled out there, but there was no reason to disguise my identity.

"Thank you for your kindness," I told him. "I know this is a surprise. I'm not sure what Anna told you about me."

Michael eyed me suspiciously. "She was less than kind."

I nodded. "I don't doubt it, but there was always bad blood between us. I think my stepmother encouraged it. But Anna went along with her plots, Anna was cruel to me."

The farmer got up and turned his back on me. "Why are you here, my Queen? Have you come to gloat?"

"I am sorry," I said. "Truly, that was not my intention. I just found out about her passing and I came to find out what happened to her."

Michael sighed and turned to face me. "It was last month. It has been a harsh winter and she was trying to make extra money. She was selling matches and candles out in the village. It was late and…" He broke off. "She must have fallen on the ice, her ankle was broken. She was missing her shoes when they found her. It was late and everyone had gone home, so there was no one to hear her calls for help."

"She froze to death," I whispered.

He nodded, tears shimmering in his eyes. This man had loved Anna, I realized. There had to be something between them for him to marry her, knowing she had spent time in the castle's dungeons.

"Is there anything I can do to help," I asked. And I meant it. Maybe this was a way to work off some of the debts for my evil deeds. "I could give you food or money…"

"I don't want your charity," Michael said. But I could see something in his eyes; he was considering it. "However, maybe there is something you can do."

* * *

"Are you out of your head Daniella?"

Arryn was _angry_ with me despite my solution to our problems. At least, I thought I had a solution.

"You wanted a child," I told him. "And Michael can't support himself and the two children."

"But this wouldn't be our child," Arryn said. "She wouldn't be my heir."

"We could adopt her. She'd legally be-"

"You're telling me that you are willing to adopt the child of the woman you hate?" Arryn drilled his eyes into me. "No one would accept that. I can't believe you would rather do this than have our own baby. Are you really that conceited?"

"No," I asserted. "It's not that at all. I just thought… Maybe it could be another option if I can't have a child of my own."

"You have a month," he said. "Send whatever you want to the man, but do not bring that child here."

"When did you grow so cold?" I whispered.

He sighed. "When you decided that your jealously and vanity were more important than our love. I wish you would just make peace with Greta. You would feel better, I'm sure."

"Why does it always come back to her?" I clenched my fists. "Why don't you just marry her? Why not ask her to have your precious heir?"

I turned and fled the room, ignoring his calls.

* * *

I was done playing nice. Greta would be gone from my life, so help me god. I had gotten a new type of poison from an alchemist. I had gone in disguise and paid him handsomely for his wares.

"Daniella!" Arryn's shouts echoed off the walls. He flung my door open, cracking the wood against the stone wall. "What have you done?"

I laid my book down and stood up. "Calm down, Arryn."

"Calm down? Greta is dead. You killed her!"

"I did nothing of the sort," I told him calmly.

Arryn flung a candlestick. "The physician is with her and the priest. She is not breathing. Her heart has stopped."

"Damn her heart," I yelled back. "She stole mine when she first came here, and by 'mine' I mean 'yours' because you are my heart, Arryn. I've wanted to rip hers out since I first saw her."

"Why have you grown so cold? You've become the Queen of Ice and Snow. She was never going to take me from you. She's my cousin Ella-"

"Don't call me that! That girl is dead."

"And so is Greta!"

"No, she isn't," I said. "That's the best part: I've committed no crime."

"You poisoned her!"

"And she is quite alive, though she'll never wake. She's in a dream state. Her mind is locked away in a fantasy world of her own making. She can live a happy life in a prison of her own making. And the best part? She can't free herself because she won't know what has happened." I was laughing hard, tears streaming down my face. "She can never wake up, can never free herself, not matter how hard she tries. Not until the spell runs its course."

* * *

I don't remember a trial. I don't remember charges. The last time I saw Arryn he was storming out of my room, a look of disgust on his face.

I called for my maid and she brought me a glass of wine. I was going to celebrate my victory. I toasted my good fortune, thinking that once Arryn calmed down I'd find a way to make things right.


	5. Epilogue - The Curse of Vanity

Six months later

"Come away from the window," Arryn said, his voice soft. "Fretting over it won't do any good. She's gone and she'll never hurt you again. You must get over this paranoia"

Greta turned away from the window and sat on the bench beside it. "I can't help it. What if something happens? What if she finds a way out?"

"The masons bricked up the door," Arryn said. "Once she was laid in the bed they closed off the entrance." They had also planted briars around the tower's base, to further ward off curiosity.

Greta nodded and wrung her hands. Conscious of the movement, she clasped them in her lap. "She wanted it to be me."

"But it's Daniella who is now lost to the dream world. The curse will keep her imprisoned in her own mind just as the tower houses her body."

The traveling wizard who had sold Daniella the poison had had a change of heart. Realizing that poor innocent might become the victim of the Sleeping Curse, he hastened to the castle to turn himself in and admit his greed, for the woman had paid him well.

When Arryn heard the particulars of the curse – that the victim would be comatose for a hundred years – he had led the man to a secret passage. Arryn had hoped his assumption was wrong, by the wizard took one look at Daniella and confirmed her identity.

The wizard had no idea he had done business with the queen herself, and Daniella probably thought the man would leave the kingdom and wouldn't cross her path again. So they had laid a trap.

When Daniella sent wine up to Greta it had been confiscated. The physician had been called for and the wizard cast a spell on Greta that made her appear to be lifeless, in case Daniella looked into her room for confirmation of the curse being successful. Half an hour later Arryn confronted his wife about Greta's "death". Daniella confirmed all the details the wizard had explained and, did indeed, sneak into Greta's room.

When Daniella had called for wine before bed, the poison was sent up. She was now the victim of her own curse and was facing the punishment she didn't know had been inflicted. Just be sure, however, they had walled her up in the tower.

Arryn was heartbroken over Daniella's actions and he mourned the innocent girl he had fallen in love with, not the woman who valued jealousy, retribution, and vanity. He obtained an annulment and was finally starting to look for a new wife.

This one, he vowed, would be a princess from the get go. He'd find one deserving to be his queen, because he was crafting princess tests in his mind. Ways to prove a woman was worthy of being called royalty.

Perhaps he'd make his potential brides spin straw into gold.

"I'm going to bed," Greta said.

"Sleep well," Arryn told her.

"I will," Greta replied. "My new mattress just came, the old one was so lumpy I could barely get any rest."

Arryn watched Greta leave the room. Her retinue of seven guards waited in the hallway, ready to see her safely to her room.


End file.
